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Doctor in Ireland gets in trouble for promoting salt cave benefits

A KILDARE-based doctor made false and misleading claims about the effectiveness of “salt cave climate therapy”, which he offered as a treatment for bronchial ailments, a Medical Council inquiry has been told.

The fitness to practise inquiry was told that Dr Tamas Bakonyi, who qualified in Hungary in 1997 and came to Ireland in 2005, had set up a salt cave clinic to treat a range of ailments, including chest infections, asthma and cystic fibrosis.

Solicitor for the Medical Council JP McDowell said that Dr Bakonyi’s claims had been made in the Liffey Champion and The Irish Times as well as on a website, in an RTÉ radio interview and in advertisements in the print media generally.

However Mr McDowell said that a report carried out by Stephen Lane, clinical professor of respiratory medicine at Trinity College Dublin and a consultant at Tallaght hospital, had found that there was little substance to a number of the claims.

Tip: @blue_wode on Twitter

Hmm. Salt caves claims back again. This time, a professor comes out to say that these claims are unfounded. The accused made it look to the public like these claims had medical endorsement.

We have done prior stories about salt caves and their therapeutic claims. Those claims are much hype and a lot about nothing. See links below.

I’ve been searching for any scientific info about these salt therapies – frustrating how little there is on it. A bunch of people I know want to go to the “Salt Grotto” here in Portland, OR. It is $30/per person. They blow off my comments as if it isn’t helpful it is at least harmless. Personally, I don’t throw away $30 for something like this just because it is harmless.

I am grateful to your site for posting the info on the harm it might cause to asthmatics. I will pass that on.